| Summary: | Specific language impairment (SLI) is a developmental language disorder that can persist into adolescence and adulthood. Research over the last decade has shown that children with SLI experience a range of socioemotional difficulties in addition to their language problems. However, there is a lack of similar research involving adolescents with SLI. This thesis provides three studies that examine aspects of socioemotional functioning in adolescents with SLI. Self-report measures were used to assess a range of socioemotional constructs at one point in development. Adolescents with SLI were compared to typically developing adolescents of the same age. It is shown that young people with SLI are at risk ofexperiencing difficulties in some areas of their socioemotional functioning. Adolescents with SLI have a tendency to feel stress in social situations, and are inhibited in, and even avoid, such interactions. There is also some evidence that adolescents with SLI have lower self-esteem compared to peers, and may be less emotionally engaged in their close relationships. Nonetheless, young people with SLI also have social successes and strengths. They are motivated to interact socially with others, and a number ofthem appear to have the skills necessary for these social interactions. Furthermore, most adolescents with SLI have the benefit of a close or best friend. The findings from the three studies have both theoretical and practical implications. This profile of socioemotional strengths and difficulties associated with SLI in adolescence begins to address the dearth of research in this area. It is concluded that language impairment is a risk for socioemotional problems, however not all young people with SLI will have difficulties and not all aspects of socioemotional functioning are affected.
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